The Edinburgh Playhouse is home to West End Musical performances and offers unparalleled selection of entertainment for visitors and residents alike. The playhouse theatre has a colorful history. Built as a variety theatre by the Glasgow architect John Fairweather, it was largely modelled on the Roxy theatre in New York. However its craze as a cinema dates back to August 12th 1929 when the first 'talkie' - The Doctor's Secret was screened. It remained a cinema hall for 40 years under the MacGuire family, until it fell victim to the cinema slump in 1973. In the later half of the 19th century, the Edinburgh playhouse building was renovated. It was at this time that the 'Save the Playhouse' group was set up. Meanwhile the Playhouse theatre in Edinburgh was given the listed building status in the year 1974. Subsequently in 1975, the 'Edinburgh Playhouse Society' was formed. This body helped in saving the building that today stands as the Edinburgh playhouse. Over the years the Playhouse theatre changed hands about 5 times until Apollo Leisure took over in December 1985. The building was again refurbished in 1993 to regain its lost glory. This made it one of the most successful theatres in the Britain yet again. Once the largest Cinema in Britain, today it houses around 3,000 people. The Edinburgh Playhouse has seen large musicals such as Miss Saigon and performances by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
